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Where Words Come From

A Dictionary of Word Origins
By:Fred Sedgwick
Publisher:Bloomsbury UK
Print ISBN:9781847062741
eText ISBN:9781441123374
Edition:1
Copyright:2009
Format:Page Fidelity

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Did you know that 'aardvark' comes from the South African for 'earth pig'? Or that 'assassin' actually comes from the Arabic for 'smoker of hashish'? This book explains why 'bungalow' comes from Hindi and what exactly 'hello' is short for.


It is an invaluable guide to the fascinating origins of everyday words. There are literally tens of thousands of English words with entertaining and engaging stories behind them.  Tackling the topic in an anecdotal and yet thorough manner, Fred Sedgwick's pithy, interesting, upbeat and approachable Where Words Come From is the etymological dictionary for everyone, a book to inspire wonder, debate and laughter.

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